35 places · sun position · panel angle
Solar data for El Salvador
Across the 35 places in El Salvador the best fixed tilt for solar panels is 16°, and flat ground gets 5.6 to 5.9 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.
Solar power in El Salvador at a glance
Averages over 35 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing south.
- 5.56–5.63
- 5.63–5.69
- 5.69–5.75
- 5.75–5.81
- 5.81–5.88
Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.
The sunniest place in El Salvador is La Libertad (La Libertad Department) with 5.88 peak sun hours a day on flat ground; the least sunny is Metapán with 5.56. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 1,681 kWh a year in Chalatenango to 1,755 kWh in La Libertad — 1,725 kWh on average.
The best year-round tilt is 16° everywhere. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 8° on average: at 70° that month brings 1.35 kWh per kWp a day in La Libertad and 1.41 kWh in Metapán.
Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.
Sunniest places in El Salvador
Ranked by peak sun hours on flat ground: the yearly average of a day's sunshine energy (NASA POWER climatology). Output: 1 kWp at its best year-round angle.
| Rank | Place | Region | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Libertad | La Libertad Department | 5.88 | 1,755 | 16° |
| 2 | Acajutla | Sonsonate Department | 5.85 | 1,750 | 16° |
| 3 | Zacatecoluca | La Paz Department | 5.84 | 1,742 | 16° |
| 3 | La Unión | La Union | 5.84 | 1,738 | 16° |
| 5 | Puerto El Triunfo | Usulutan | 5.83 | 1,740 | 16° |
| 5 | Usulután | Usulutan | 5.83 | 1,737 | 16° |
| 7 | San Rafael Oriente | San Miguel Department | 5.82 | 1,736 | 16° |
| 8 | San Miguel | San Miguel Department | 5.81 | 1,734 | 16° |
| 8 | Santiago de María | Usulutan | 5.81 | 1,733 | 16° |
| 10 | Sonsonate | Sonsonate Department | 5.80 | 1,740 | 16° |
Least sunny places in El Salvador
| Rank | Place | Region | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | San Francisco | Morazan | 5.69 | 1,702 | 16° |
| 32 | Aguilares | San Salvador Department | 5.67 | 1,705 | 16° |
| 33 | Sensuntepeque | Cabanas | 5.62 | 1,685 | 16° |
| 34 | Chalatenango | Chalatenango Department | 5.58 | 1,681 | 16° |
| 35 | Metapán | Santa Ana Department | 5.56 | 1,685 | 16° |
Solar by region in El Salvador
Averages of the places in each region, sunniest first. Darkest month: what 1 kWp of off-grid panels at 70° makes a day in the worst month of the year.
| Region | Places | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt | Darkest month at 70° | Sunniest place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Paz Department | 1 | 5.84 | 1,742 | 16° | 1.36 kWh | Zacatecoluca |
| La Union | 1 | 5.84 | 1,738 | 16° | 1.36 kWh | La Unión |
| Usulutan | 3 | 5.82 | 1,737 | 16° | 1.36 kWh | Puerto El Triunfo |
| San Miguel Department | 2 | 5.82 | 1,735 | 16° | 1.36 kWh | San Rafael Oriente |
| Sonsonate Department | 4 | 5.81 | 1,741 | 16° | 1.36 kWh | Acajutla |
| La Libertad Department | 4 | 5.80 | 1,737 | 16° | 1.36 kWh | La Libertad |
| San Vicente Department | 1 | 5.76 | 1,723 | 16° | 1.37 kWh | San Vicente |
| San Salvador Department | 10 | 5.76 | 1,726 | 16° | 1.37 kWh | San Marcos |
| Cuscatlan | 2 | 5.72 | 1,714 | 16° | 1.38 kWh | Cojutepeque |
| Ahuachapan | 1 | 5.72 | 1,719 | 16° | 1.38 kWh | Ahuachapán |
| Morazan | 1 | 5.69 | 1,702 | 16° | 1.38 kWh | San Francisco |
| Santa Ana Department | 3 | 5.66 | 1,706 | 16° | 1.39 kWh | Santa Ana |
| Cabanas | 1 | 5.62 | 1,685 | 16° | 1.39 kWh | Sensuntepeque |
| Chalatenango Department | 1 | 5.58 | 1,681 | 16° | 1.40 kWh | Chalatenango |
Largest places in El Salvador at a glance
| Place | Latitude | Best tilt | Off-grid tilt | Sun hours/day (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Salvador | 13.7° N | 16° | 8° | 5.78 |
| Soyapango | 13.7° N | 16° | 8° | 5.77 |
| San Miguel | 13.5° N | 16° | 7° | 5.81 |
| Santa Ana | 14.0° N | 16° | 8° | 5.70 |
| Mejicanos | 13.7° N | 16° | 8° | 5.77 |
| Santa Tecla | 13.7° N | 16° | 8° | 5.80 |
| Apopa | 13.8° N | 16° | 9° | 5.73 |
| Delgado | 13.7° N | 16° | 8° | 5.77 |
| Sonsonate | 13.7° N | 16° | 8° | 5.80 |
| San Marcos | 13.7° N | 16° | 8° | 5.80 |
| Usulután | 13.3° N | 16° | 7° | 5.83 |
| Cojutepeque | 13.7° N | 16° | 9° | 5.74 |
| Cuscatancingo | 13.7° N | 16° | 8° | 5.77 |
| San Vicente | 13.6° N | 16° | 9° | 5.76 |
| Zacatecoluca | 13.5° N | 16° | 8° | 5.84 |
| San Martín | 13.8° N | 16° | 9° | 5.71 |
| Ilopango | 13.7° N | 16° | 8° | 5.77 |
| Ahuachapán | 13.9° N | 16° | 8° | 5.72 |
| Antiguo Cuscatlán | 13.7° N | 16° | 8° | 5.80 |
| Chalchuapa | 14.0° N | 16° | 8° | 5.70 |
Daylight and clock time in El Salvador
In Metapán (14.3° N), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 12 h 59 min and the shortest 11 h 17 min; in Puerto El Triunfo (13.3° N), the southernmost, 12 h 55 min and 11 h 21 min. El Salvador does not use daylight saving time: the clocks stay the same all year.
| Time zone | Places | UTC offset | Clocks change in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| America/El_Salvador | 35 | UTC−6 | no daylight saving time |